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Tötungsdelikte an Kindern
Abstract and Figures
Immer wieder und besonders auch in jüngster Zeit werden spektakuläre Fälle von Tötungen an Kindern bekannt, die die Öffentlichkeit aufwühlen. Alle Fälle verweisen auf gesellschaftliche und politische Fragen, die bereits seit geraumer Zeit diskutiert werden. Vor dem Hintergrund einiger skizzierter Fälle und der dadurch intensivierten Debatten um Reaktions- und Präventionsmöglichkeiten stellen sich Fragen nach Ausmaß, Phänomenologie und Genese von Tötungsdelikten an Kindern. In dem vorliegenden Beitrag werden, nach einer Einführung in die Datenlage in Deutschland, anhand amtlicher Kriminalstatistiken ausgewählte Befunde deutscher und internationaler Untersuchungen zu diesem Thema vorgestellt. Abschließend werden einige im Hinblick auf die Entwicklung von Präventionsstrategien zentrale offene Forschungsfragen skizziert. Unter 'Tötungsdelikten an Kindern' werden hier vollendete vorsätzliche Tötungen aller Kinder ab Geburt bis zum Alter von unter 14 Jahren verstanden. Die Grenzziehungen in Bezug auf das Alter folgen dem im deutschen Strafrecht üblichen Verständnis vom Lebensbeginn einerseits und der Abgrenzung des Kindes- vom Jugendlichenalter andererseits. Die Beschränkung auf vollendete, vorsätzliche Tötungsdelikte dient dem Ziel, diejenigen Taten, die eine im umgangssprachlichen Sinn absichtliche Tötung eines Kindes darstellen, möglichst vollständig einzubeziehen. Soweit dargestellte Untersuchungen andere Abgrenzungskriterien verwenden, wird dies kenntlich gemacht. Da nicht wenige einschlägige Studien sich auf Tötungen durch biologische und soziale Eltern konzentrieren, sei ausdrücklich erwähnt, dass der vorliegende Bericht nicht grundsätzlich auf die Thematik der Tötungen durch Eltern beschränkt ist. Gleichwohl bildet aufgrund der Phänomenologie von Tötungsdelikten an Kindern und der bisherigen Forschungslage dieser Bereich einen eindeutigen Schwerpunkt. (ICD2)
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Forensisch-traumatologische Untersuchungen sind in vielfältigen rechtlichen Zusammenhängen von Bedeutung; sie dienen der Befunderhebung, Dokumentation und Asservierung. Bei der Beurteilung von Verletzungen sind Suizide, Suizidversuche, Selbstbeschädigungen einerseits, Unfälle und Unglücksfälle sowie Körperverletzungs- und Tötungsdelikte andererseits zu differenzieren. Unter Traumatomechanik versteht man eine schädigende Krafteinwirkung, die über eine Deformation eine Kontinuitätsunterbrechung, also eine Gefügetrennung des Gewebes nach sich zieht. Gewalteinwirkungen werden hinsichtlich ihrer Verursachung eingeteilt in mechanische Insulte (stumpfe und scharfe Gewalt), Schussverletzungen, Erstickungen, Tod im Wasser, thermische Energie (Hitze, Kälte), Elektrizität, Blitzschlag, Strahlen, Verhungern, Vernachlässigung, Kindstötung, Abtreibung, Tod in abnormer Körperposition etc.
Hintergrund Kindstötungen kommen in allen Kultur- und Gesellschaftskreisen vor und sind eine der führenden Todesursachen weltweit bei Kindern. Das Wissen über Prädiktoren und Risikofaktoren ist rudimentär; auch fehlen groß angelegte Studien zur systematischen Erfassung von Kindstötungen. Material und Methode Es erfolgte die retrospektive Auswertung der Obduktionen an Kindern des Alters bis einschließlich 14 Jahre im Zeitraum von 1989 bis 2013 am Institut für Rechtsmedizin der Universität München. Zum Vergleich wurden bevölkerungsstatistische Daten des Bayerischen Landesamts für Statistik herangezogen. Ergebnisse Im genannten Zeitraum wurden 1847 Obduktionen an Kindern Schlussfolgerung Die Prävalenz der Kindstötung in der vorliegenden Erhebung entspricht in etwa der anderer europäischen Studien. Der Großteil der Kinder war jünger als ein Jahr. Dies deckt sich mit der Literatur, wonach diese Altersgruppe am meisten gefährdet ist. Häufigste Todesursache war Ersticken. Gerade bei Neugeborenen und Säuglingen ist diese Todesursache oft mit diagnostischen Schwierigkeiten verbunden, insbesondere bezüglich der differenzialdiagnostischen Alternative in Form des plötzlichen Säuglingstods. Somit ist von einer hohen Dunkelziffer auszugehen.
In cooperation with the Crime Investigation Agency (Landeskriminalamt) of North Rhine-Westphalia, we carried out a study of 150 cases of (suspected) neonaticide dating from 1993 to 2007 from all over Germany. The autopsy reports and additional expert opinions (if performed) were evaluated for a minimum of 78 variables. Emphasis was placed on the application of special preparation techniques and other special questions arising during the examination of a deceased newborn child. Forty-five percent of the cases remained unsolved, which means that the mother could not be identified. Twenty-seven percent of the corpses were in a state of such severe putrefaction that forensic examination was limited. The main causes of death were all forms of suffocation. The signs of maturity (such as length, weight, and fingernails) were recorded in more than 95 % of the cases. Hydrostatic test of the lung was performed in 96 %, and that of the gastrointestinal tract in 84 %. Given the results of the study, standard protocols and checklists are recommended to facilitate comparability and to ensure the completeness of findings. Full-body X-rays or CT scans should be used to complete viability examinations.
In the chapter on Germany, some background information on the German society is given, followed by a description of the legal
definition of homicide in German criminal law and summary of existing research on homicide in the Federal Republic. Next,
the two main sources of homicide data, the police crime statistics and the causes of death statistics, are discussed. In the
main section, trends in homicide are described using time series starting in 1953 (Western Germany) resp. 1993 (including
the former GDR); for some variables, data are available only for more recent years. The presentation of trends is followed
by sections on the regional distribution of homicides (homicide rates for the Länder and large cities; homicide rates by class of the size of the municipality), characteristics of homicides (offender–victim
relationship; use of guns; perpetration under the influence of alcohol; relation between municipality of residence of the
perpetrator and location of the crime), victims (sex and age), and perpetrators (sex, age, citizenship status, dependency
on hard drugs). There will be also a section in which the knowledge on patterns with respect to modus operandus is summarized;
it will contain a special subsection on sexually motivated killings of children. The final section is devoted to a discussion
of explanations specific to Germany (or to be more precise, the question if there is something special about German homicide
trends, or if they fit well into a global trend across industrial countries – extant interpretations for such a trend are
discussed as well) and policies (like recent legislation regarding domestic violence), which might have played some (indirect)
role in the recent decrease of homicides.
In Deutschland wurde 1998 der § 217 des Strafgesetzbuchs ersatzlos gestrichen, der bis dahin für die Tötung des nichtehelichen
Kindes in oder gleich nach der Geburt durch die Mutter eine mildere Strafe als bei Totschlag vorsah. Die hierfür gegebene
Begründung überzeugt nicht. Es wird dazu kurz auf die Geschichte dieser Strafrechtsnorm eingegangen. Die Privilegierung dieses
Straftatbestandes wurde vor allem mit Verweis auf die abgewehrte Schwangerschaft und den dadurch bestimmten Zustand der Frau
zum Zeitpunkt der Geburt gerechtfertigt. Auch nach der Abschaffung des § 217 StGB muss zwischen früheren Privilegierungsgründen,
die nunmehr aus juristischer Sicht die Anwendung des § 213 StGB (minder schwerer Fall des Totschlags) rechtfertigen können,
und jenen pathologischen Zuständen unterschieden werden, die die Feststellung aufgehobener oder verminderter Schuldfähigkeit
zulassen.
§ 217 of the German penal code, which intended a milder punishment for the homicide of an illegitimate child by the mother
right after birth than for manslaughter, was abrogated without substitution in 1998. The reasoning behind this move does not
convince. We will give a short summary of the history of this law. The privileged status of this crime was primarily justified
in view of the denied pregnancy and the consequent state of the mother at the time of birth. Even after abrogation of §217
StGB there has to be differentiated between former reasons for privileged treatment, which now can justify from a juridicial
point of view the use of §213 StGB (minor manslaughter), and those pathological states of mind which allow for the establishment
of reduced or nullified legal responsibility.
This report explores the potential for reducing homicide in the UK. It draws upon data from the Homicide Index, international research on homicide, and the general crime reduction literature. Homicide is highly diverse in its characteristics, causes and dynamics, so effective strategies to reduce it are likely to require tailoring to specific forms. The report focuses upon four important categories: domestic (partner) homicide; the killing of infants; alcohol-related homicide; and homicide involving guns and knives. Attention is also paid briefly to issues around ‘dangerous’ offenders and mental disorder, and to homicide victimisation in relation to specific occupations.
Objective: To verify whether investigations of unexpected deaths of infants in the Quebec City area are adequate and whether all infanticides are identified. Design: Retrospective study of infant deaths that occurred between 1985 and 1994, inclusively. Setting: The three hospitals in Quebec City with a paediatric department. Patients: One hundred and forty two deaths were analyzed. Neonatal mortality as well as natural and obvious accidental deaths were excluded. The 29 deaths that occurred unexpectedly were retained for the study. Interventions: In the first part of the study, we verified whether the investigation included the following five elements: a skeletal survey, an autopsy, a coroner's inquest, a police investigation, and a death-scene investigation. In the second part, each death was reviewed using criteria commonly used to identify physical maltreatment of a child. Each case was then discussed with two coroners. Results: Only 41.4% of the deaths in obscure circumstances were investigated using the five elements, the skeletal survey being the most frequent omission. While only four homicides were officially recognized, the case reviews revealed four other probable homicides and three other possible ones. In 10 out of 11 of these cases, the baby suffered an intracranial haemorrhage. Negligence was identified as the cause of three deaths and suspected in another case. Conclusions and implications for practice: Although rare, infanticides in our community are underdiagnosed and are probably at least twice as frequent as the official statistics indicate. Professionals involved in diagnosis should pay particular attention to all cases of unexpected deaths of infants, especially when there is an intracranial haemorrhage without a medical explanation or a history of major trauma. Infanticide could be detected more easily by using a systematic investigation comprised of a skeletal survey, an autopsy in a specialized setting, a coroner's inquest, a police investigation, and a death-scene investigation. An effective way to promote systematic investigations, thus leading to a better identification of cases of infanticides, would be to establish a Multiagency Child Death Review Team.
There is now sufficient historical demographic analysis of India, Japan and China to show that infanticide has traditionally been employed to shape families. The driving force has often been the need to preserve family property from division by inheritance or dispersal by the payment of high dowries, although, especially in China, current subsistence problems have also been important. The practice has often been more frequent among the rich than the poor and may have increased as economic advancement became more possible. Nevertheless, it is probable that high child mortality ensured that most families did not have to practise infanticide, which probably played only a modest role in determining the level of population equilibrium. The factor making infanticide more likely than in hunter-gatherer societies is the possession of land. The Judaeo-Christian-Muslim outlawing of infanticide provided the incentive both to try to eliminate the practice and to record its existence.
Well-established policies and procedures govern the identification, management, and treatment of most variations of child abuse. For many therapists, such cases have become “routine”. Munchausen syndrome by proxy is an under-recognized form of child abuse in which a parent feigns or creates illness in a child specifically to have the child subjected to unnecessary diagnostic tests and treatments by medical practitioners. Variations range from false reports of fevers or allergies, to life-threatening abuse, such as surreptitious poisonings or injections with toxic substances. This article reports a case example of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, provides a review of historical, diagnostic and management issues, and discusses legal issues relevant to detection of the perpetrator and protection of the child victim.